Whooping cough vaccination available for pregnant women
Pregnant women across Birmingham and Solihull are being urged to get vaccinated against whooping cough to help protect their unborn babies from the infection.
The number of cases of whooping cough, sometimes referred to as pertussis, has been rising across the country and has, sadly, led to some fatalities.
The condition is high infectious and, while often quite mild in adults and older children, can be incredibly serious for young babies. The best way to ensure maximum protection is for pregnant women to be vaccinated to passively protect their baby, before baby can be directly protected by the infant vaccination programme when they are eight weeks old.
Our Women’s Hospital benefits from an on-site maternal vaccination service, which means that patients can receive their vaccine at any time from 16 weeks gestation when attending the antenatal clinic.
The drop-in service, which doesn’t require an appointment, is available during the usual clinic hours of Monday to Friday, 9am until 5pm. Between September and March each year, prospective parents can also receive the flu vaccination.
More information about whooping cough can be found by watching the video below or visiting the NHS website dedicated to information about whooping cough during pregnancy.